Gifts!

Our lovely daughter surprised me with this gorgeous calendar for Christmas.  She spent lots of time going through my blog and picking out pictures to reflect the months.  I was blown away.  It is just so lovely and I will be able to re-visit so many quilts and projects each month.  Oh my word.  So darn awesome and clever of her.  She printed one up for my Mum too.  Sweet.  And even better is that I think this may be the start of a trend as she says this is the first edition.

I just love it.  Printed at Vistaprint as an fyi.

Tissue covers

Okay,  These were seriously too much fun to make.  And fast!  The most complicated part of this stocking stuffer was buying the little packs of tissue to stuff inside.  And I used up some scraps.  One for Mum, one for daughter and one for daughter in law.  Gifted.  I used this tutorial.  And I will have to make more of these.  Just because.

Autumn runner: Gifted

Well.  I know it is still the Christmas season but what are you going to do when your mother says, "I don't have a table runner in fall colours."  That sounds like a perfect hint for a Christmas make.  I used up a lot of scraps on this one.  Fall colours and linen scraps in random offset strips, 5" wide.  I actually make all the strip sets at a guild sew in on my featherweight and then finished the rest at home on my Janome. I quilted it densely with an Aurifil 40 weight in a lovely linen tone.  I used Aurifil 50 wt in cream in the bobbin.  The slightly heavier Aurifil gives a lovely texture.  The runner is bound in a medium olive green Grunge by Moda.  So much fun.  Gifted.  And she likes it!

Christmas gifted

  Name: Christmas Gifted

Design:  Strip twist by Quiltville

Size:  64" by 80"

Fabric: Crazy Eights and Reindeer Games by Sandy Gervais plus stash fabrics

Quilted: by me with Aurifil 50 in cream 

Binding:   Candy cane strip from Reindeer Games, Sandy Gervais for Moda

Backing:  Light green gingham check sheeting

Pieced, quilted, bound and now gifted!  I made this one for our son and his lovely wife.  I had not given them a Christmas quilt yet and everyone needs a Christmas quilt.  It is a free pattern from Bonnie at Quiltville and she calls it Strip Twist.  I used a jelly roll of Christmas prints from an long ago Christmas line by Sandy Gervais.  Funny thing, is that our son had given it to me for Christmas years ago.  It made sense to make it up for them!  I had some fat quarters and yardage from some of her more recent Christmas lines and it all just worked.  I was waiting and waiting to take a picture but it has been raining so much, it seems on the weekends that I finally just took pictures in the rain.  The quilt was under cover on the barn wall.

I quilted this one along all the diagonals in Aurifil 50 wt in cream.  Nice and simple.  Cuddly and cozy, I backed it in a small light green gingham sheeting that I found at Overseas Fabrics in Abbotsford.  Awesome family shop for those in the area.  I decided to have the colours of the prints in the blocks cascade across the quilt rather than just have it random.  I quite like it.

Oh.  And they did too!  Merry Christmas!!!

And the winner is!

Thanks so much for entering my Sew Mama Sew Giveaway!  The lucky winner is... #225

and that is Alicia and I will send her an email!  Congratulations, Alicia!

Just a wee Christmas Mini for my buddy

Well.  Each Christmas the Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild has a swap for a seasonal decorative item.  We draw names and then get busy.  This year my secret swap partner was my buddy Cynthia.  I had already noticed a picture she pinned so used it as my inspiration for the wonky trees and some button garland.  Just a little bit of wonky fun.  And she liked it!!!  I quilted the trees first with Aurifil 50wt in white and then followed that with some wavy vertical lines on the background in the same thread.  The garland is in a medium green Aurifil 40 wt.  Merry Christmas, Cynthia!!!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day 2015!

Hello!  Welcome to the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!  This is such a fun event!  I picked a Cotton and Steel cookie book charm square pack, a spool of lovely Aurifil and my favourite Clover stitch ripper.

 All you have to do is...

1)   leave me a comment!
2)   if you are one of my followers, leave an extra comment for a second chance!

 Please make sure you have an email address attached to your comment so that I have a way to contact you.  I will ship internationally and I will pick a winner next Wednesday, December 16, 2015 at 5 pm PST!

Edited to say that the winner is Alicia, #225 and comments are now closed!  Thanks everyone!!1

On the design wall

I have been messing around with this.  Still needs sewing together and hopefully that will happen next weekend.  It all started with a Christmas jelly roll from years ago and it has gradually morphed into a good size quilt.  Destined for a gift.  And I think it looks kinda cool.

Christmas Scrubs for Daughter

So she says, it would be nice to have some scrubs in Christmas prints, Mum. Guess what I did this weekend?  Bing, bang, boom.  A few hours later and there were two of them.  Off in the mail tomorrow for a very special wee nurse!

Schnitzel and Boo Mini Quilt Swap

I was so excited to receive my swap package from the Schnitzel and Boo Mini quilt swap that I only took phone pictures!    Oh man.  I was delighted to have Jessica at Sew Many Creations as my secret partner.  And she sent me a lovely mini made with awesome Anna Maria Horner fabric and a wee bundle of charms along with some gorgeous ribbon, a key fob and a PIN BOWL!  And let me tell ya, the pin bowl is AWESOME!  She makes them.  Just saying.  What a great swap!

A notebook in Sewing Studio

My buddy Cynthia Frenette has a new fabric line out with Robert Kaufman.  It is a called Sewing Studio and Cynthia gave me a bunch of it to play with.  Happy happy!

I got busy last weekend and made a covered notebook just for fun.  I paired the prints with some essex linen in black.  Check out the prints!  So much fun!!!!  I love the scissors!

Kona Club Challenge August Bundle

I put this tutorial together for Sew Sisters for their Kona Club Challenge. last month.  There are some great projects for other Kona solids projects on the Sew Sisters blog and this tutorial is also found there.

And Sew Sisters has an awesome deal of the month for November, Kona Basics, Ash, Black, Charcoal, White and Snow are only $7.69 a metre.  Just saying.


I decided to make something a little different for this project.  It would make a great gift for someone else but it might also be something you might like to make for yourself!


Supplies:

• 4 FQs of Kona Solids ( I used Cornflower, Daffodil, Grapemist, and Windsor)
• 1 FQ of Kona Solids OPTIONAL (this is for the lining and I used Kona Snow)
• Scrap piece of batting measuring 14" by 23" at least
• 1-3 ring binder 1" (I used an inexpensive Hilroy binder measuring 11.75" by 21.5" when open and lying flat.  The spine measured 1.5")

All seams are 1/4"

Cutting Instructions:

Decide which Kona FQ will be your feature colour for the outside binder cover and cut

2-8 x 13.5"main cover

From the 3 remaining FQs cut

2-8 x 13.5" inside flaps
2-8 x 13.5" inside flap lining

2-6.75" x 8" inside flap pockets

10-2" x 8" spine pieces assorted colours

2-2.5" x 8" inside pocket top edge from a colour which contrasts from the pocket

 

 Sewing Instructions:

Arrange the pieces for the binder spine in a pleasing order and stitch together.  Press the seams to one side.  Centre the spine section to the front cover pieces and stitch as shown in the photo.  Trim the top edge of the spine section.  Place the outside binder cover on your batting, baste as desired and quilt as desired. I like straight lines and lots of them!

 Press down 1/4" the long side of the pocket top edge.  Stitch pocket top edge to pocket. Press seam towards pocket top edge.

 Press pocket top edge towards the pocket, covering the seam.  Top stitch close to the edge, encasing the seam. Repeat for second pocket.

Layer your flap pieces in this order.  Inside flap, pocket, inside flap lining and finally batting scrap measuring 8" x 13.5".

Stitch flap to flap lining, making sure you have inside flaps which are mirror images of each other as in the picture below.  Trim batting from seam allowances, press and top stitch edge.  Nice!

Stitch flaps to main binder cover.  Again, trim excess batting from seam allowance and press.  At this point test the fit of your binder in your cover.  You want there to be some looseness as the top stitching at the end will also reduce the amount of wiggle room. Trim your binder cover to measure 12.5".

 With right sides together, stitch top and bottom edge of flaps to outside binder cover.  Trim batting from seam allowance.  Trace the rounded corners of the binder on all 4 corners and stitch a curved corners.  Trim seams and turn to right side.  Press carefully.  At this point, you may wish to place lining on the inside of the binder cover.  Slip stitch to top and bottom inside binder encasing upper and lower bottom edge.  This is completely optional.  Otherwise, press spine of binder top and bottom edge to the inside.  Top stitch carefully around the entire outside of the binder cover.  I added a second row of stitching to secure the seam at spine edges.

 And there it is!  A lovely covered binder to store all your patterns and notes in and some lovely leftover scraps too!

My Hillside Houses

     Name: My Hillside Houses

Design:  Hillside Houses by Pretty Little Quilts

Size:  60" by 75"

Fabric: Solids, mostly Kona

Quilted: by me with Aurifil 50 wt in Dove grey, organic waves

Binding:   Kona Berry

Backing:  Shantytown by Kaffe Fasset and some other cobblestone like fabric from the stash

 I was inspired to make this fun quilt when I say Carla's version on her blog this past summer.  And I loved the fabric she used on the back as well.  I have to say, I was a total copycat and used the same fabric on the back and I used lots of purple too. Yep.  Confessions are good for the soul.    I have not been to Newfoundland but Husband has and that is what he thought of when he saw Carla's version.  So... here is mine. This was so much fun to put together.  The hardest part was deciding which colours to use!  I made a big mess of my solids.  A design wall was a must as the blocks have parts of several houses so you have to think ahead about your colour choices. The pattern is a free one that you can download from Craftsy.  The link to the pattern can be found here.   And the pattern has 3 sizes.  This is biggie sized.

I quilted it yesterday in wavy curves that vary in both amplitude and frequency as per Husband's advice.. It was free range walking foot action.  It was a bit of a wrist and arm work out. I looked at a bunch of finished Hillside Houses to see how other people had quilted the pattern and Husband and I thought the waves worked. Let's just say it is the wind. I used Aurifil 50 wt in Dove which worked wonderfully with all the solids. I increased the stitch length to 3.2 because of all the curve action.  I am always surprised but the difference quilting makes in the texture of a quilt.  Somehow that never gets old!  I used Kona Berry for the binding.  It worked perfectly!  I am so pleased with this one.

Blogger's Quilt Festival: My Scrappy Entry

    Name: Grape Juice

Design:  Quarter Log Cabin by Liz Katsuro

Size:  64" by 80"

Fabric: Purple, bright pink and low volume scraps 

Quilted: by me with Aurifil 50 wt in Dove grey, straight lines

Binding:   Kona Eggplant

Backing:  an awesome vintage sheet in purple

Hello!  If you are popping over from the Blogger's Quilt Festival, welcome!  I decided to enter this quilt, Grape Juice, in the festival, scrappy category, this year.  Oh my.  I do love this quilt but there were times that I had to walk away. Even my husband told me to leave it alone and come back to it later. He reminded me that quilting is supposed to be fun.  And it wasn't fun at that moment, let me tell ya! I won't give the whole long story but if you want to read the whole story about how I realized after finishing the quilt completely.  Completely.  That several blocks in the bottom row had been placed incorrectly, throwing off the pattern.  Argh.  Anyway, it is all fixed and lovely in purple scrappy-ness.

If anyone is interested in the pattern, it is a free tutorial by Liz Katsuro.  I made the quilt with a huge variety of scraps all in a similar colour palette as well as a bunch of low volume scraps and bits and pieces.  To add to the scrappy vibe, I backed the quilt with a fabulous vintage sheet.  I am pretty sure that I picked this one up at a thrift shop a few years ago but it might have come from one of my aunts.  Wherever I got it, it was the perfect back and was a good heavy 100% cotton sheet. Nice! I  quilted this in Aurifil 50 wt in gray, with lots and lots of straight lines to give it texture.

So there it is.  Grape Juice.  Scrappy.  And with a story of frustration, persistence and satisfaction at making it right.  Entering this in the Scrappy Category of Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival.

Schnitzel and Boo Mini Quilt Swap

    Name: Just a little x block

Size:  19.5" by 19.5"

Fabric: Selection of prints from Bonnie and Camille, Bliss and Ruby, Cotton and Steel Hatbox lines, Kona White

Quilted: by me with Aurifil 50 wt in white, straight lines

Binding:   Kona white

Backing:  an awesome Sewing Studio print by Cynthia Frenette for Robert Kaufman 

I finished this little quilt last weekend.  I hung it on the barn wall in the misty rain and took a few quick pictures. This if for the Schnitzel and Boo Mini Quilt Swap on Instagram and after debating endlessly about what to do, I made 16 wee x blocks.  Each finishing at just a smidge under 4".  I used a variety of Cotton and Steel prints and some Bonnie and Camille prints from both Ruby and Bliss.  The Bonnie and Camille prints have been lingering far too long in the great wall of fabric so it felt good to use them.  I used Kona White as the background and binding and then did lots of straight line quilting in Aurifil 50 wt in white..  So much fun!

The backing is from my buddy Cynthia's line, Sewing Studio.  It seemed perfectly appropriate for a swap!  I also used one of Cynthia's labels on the back.  You can pop over to her Spoonflower shop to see all sorts of lovelies!

And now I just need to get it all wrapped up and off to the mail!

I do love zippy pouches

I made this zippy pouch last Monday. So much fun.  Mum was down for Thanksgiving and she watched me make it.  I think it took about 25 minutes start to finish.  How awesome is that?  A little bit of quilting with some Aurifil 50 wt in white and some Cotton and Steel fabrics,  Yum.  I made this to put the little extra treats in for the Schnitzel and Boo Mini Quilt swap.  And I do hope my partner likes it.  After all, happiness is a new zippy pouch on a sunny fall day!

A finish: Prospector's 16 Patch

   Name: Prospector's16 Patch

Design: St. Louis 16 Patch (tutorial at Sew with Sass)

Size: 56" by 72"

Quilted: by me with Aurifil 50 wt in cream on either side of each square

Backed with a vintage sheet

I made this St, Louis 16 Patch with the intention that it be a donation quilt for the Rock Creek Forest Fire victims, I put it together with a vision of who it might be for but then the organizers of the quilt drive said they only wanted queen size quilts.  Wah wa wa.  Darn.  This is not a queen size quilt.  It is a long twin.  And I made it that  because I thought it might be good for an older gentleman, perhaps even a prospector type who may have lost his cabin in the wild fires.  In my mind, it was a good idea.  I used to teach in that area, years ago and we lived in the little town of Midway when the kids were young.  So my idea was not that out of whack.  Since the quilt was not wanted, I have it in a pile waiting and will jump at an opportunity to donate it, especially to an older gentleman, who may have a cabin and may or may not be a prospector type.  Or something.

Made with a variety of prints from my stash and with mostly low volume prints making up the 16 patch squares, this quilt comes together in a hurry.  The tutorial is a good one.  The quilt is quilted simply, a quarter inch from the seam lines on one side of each quarter inch block in Aurifil 50 wt in cream.  

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!